CHICAGO – Chicago State volleyball returns home to open a three-match slate on Tuesday night at the Jacoby Dickens Center with a non-conference contest against Valparaiso with the first serve slated to start at 7 p.m. The Valpo marks CSU's first home match at the JDC in 10 days.
Scouting the Cougars:
CSU (6-15, 0-7 WAC) returns to action this week after falling to Texas-Pan American (3-1) and New Mexico State (3-0) on the road last weekend in a pair of Western Athletic Conference matches. Junior outside hitter Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule) leads the Green and White with 213 kills (2.77 kps) and 34 service aces (0.44 saps) on the year in addition to producing six (kill-dig) double-doubles. Junior middle hitter Essence Jackson-Jones (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon) ranks first on the Cougars in total blocks (nine solo, 68 assisted – 1.15 bps) and hitting (.241), while freshman setter Sarah Metcalfe (Huntington Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) has dished out 568 assists (7.34 aps) and senior libero Julia Menhart (Augsburg, Germany/FOS Friedberg) is the team leading in digs with 262 (3.69 dps).
Scouting the Crusaders:
Valparaiso comes to Chicago with a 17-5 overall record, but has dropped three of its last four matches since Oct. 10 against Oakland. The Crusaders fell at home to visiting North Dakota State in a non-conference battle Sunday by a close 3-2 decision. Emily Campbell has recorded 317 kills (4.12 kps) to lead Valpo. Kelsey Barrington leads the VU offense with 884 assists (10.65 aps) and has also tallied a team-best 32 service aces (0.65 aps) on the season.
CSU's Smokin' Aces:
Chicago State is getting national team recognition for producing service aces as it ranks 22nd in this week's NCAA Division I national rankings. The Cougars have recorded 124 service aces for an average of 1.61 per set which also ranks them first in the WAC.
Up Next:
CSU welcomes Kansas City to the Dickens Center for a WAC showdown this Friday night with a start time of 7 p.m.
